


Baby, Maybe You're a Mind-Reader

by merlocked



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Depressed!Arthur, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mind Reader!Merlin, Protective!Merlin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-17
Updated: 2014-03-17
Packaged: 2018-01-16 02:58:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1329307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merlocked/pseuds/merlocked
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin the mind-reader has always been a bit alone. Upon moving to a new high school, he meets Arthur: golden boy that has secret depression. Merlin makes it his mission to cheer up his new friend, but finds it ever so difficult as Arthur won't simply make nice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Baby, Maybe You're a Mind-Reader

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfic has a PLAYLIST. It's on 8tracks.com under the username "merlocked". The mix tape's name is "Mind Reader". Here is an html that you can copy/paste to go directly to the playlist on 8tracks. Enjoy the story!
> 
> https://8tracks.com/merlocked/merlin-mind-reader

Merlin was different than other kids. At first, he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was that made him so special. He did not realize that his normal was so completely different from everyone else’s. 

Merlin’s mother was tapping her finger on her chin thinking, ‘What shall I get my boy for Christmas?’

At this, the child piped up, “I want a puppy, mum!”

His mother, Hunith, stared at her son blankly. “How did you… know what I was thinking?”

“I always know what you’re thinking, mum! Right now you are thinking that you have gone crazy. Why?” Merlin asked.

After this incident, many things changed for the Emrys family. Merlin’s father left them, insisting that they were insane. He would not believe for one second that his only son was some kind of mind reader. Surely that was impossible. 

Hunith, left all alone, tried to be the best mother that she could be under the situation. She did not cope well with the departure of her husband and grew severely depressed. One night, when Merlin was nine years old, she could not handle the pressures of her life. That night the little boy lost his mother to the sea and was left in the care of his uncle, Gaius. 

Before Merlin had moved into his uncle’s house, he had never met the relative. Gaius’ name was familiar from the stories his mother used to tell, but apart from those, the boy had only seen pictures of this man. However, Merlin and Gaius grew very close over the years. The old man proved to be a trustworthy and loving guardian. He accepted Merlin’s gifts and taught the boy how to maneuver his gifts to his benefit. 

Growing up, Merlin never had any true friends. It was not that he didn’t try to make acquaintances: he did. People just did not seem to like the gifted boy. They poked fun at him and over the course of many months, whittled down his self-esteem. After all, not only could Merlin hear their taunts aloud, but he could also hear the cruel words they were thinking as well. However, Merlin never exposed his secret. Although it was best for him to keep his gift to himself, it did make him quite lonely. 

Now Merlin was entering a new school halfway through his senior year. He was used to switching schools by now, as the boy was unfortunately the victim of harsh bullying. While most people were nervous on their first day of a new place, Merlin had grown accustomed to the idea and was, for the most part, at ease. Perhaps if Merlin could have seen the future as well, he may have been rather surprised at the adventures that were to fulfill his time at Camelot High School.

~~  
Merlin artfully mussed his jet-black hair before practically skipping down the stairs into the kitchen. “Good morning, Gaius!”

The old man handed the other his leather backpack. “How extraordinarily cheerful you are. Are you feeling feverish today?”

The raven-haired boy took a bite from an apple and replied, “Today is the beginning of a new start. For real this time.”

“You had better get going then, Mr. Inspirational. Your destiny awaits.” The guardian chuckled, messing with Merlin’s hair.

“No touchy the hair, old man! Mr. Inspirational needs to look good for his destiny,” the boy added with a ninja move before heading out the front door.

Merlin hopped into his car, plugged in his iPod, and drove off to another first day.

~~  
“Alrighty, Mr. Emrys! It looks like you have all your paperwork. Now, you and Gwaine here are excused from all morning classes today. He will be showing you your way around Camelot High. Have a great day,” the secretary waved. 

The day seemed to get better by the second. The staff was friendly to him, and now he had the pleasure of being shown around the school by the hottest kid in it. Gwaine had shoulder-length brown hair, sparkling chocolate eyes, and was generally drop-dead gorgeous all the way around.

“Nice to meet ya, mate! Let’s go check out your classes, yeah?” Merlin could only nod in response. Today was going to be awesome.

~  
The day was, in fact, awesome. Gwaine had showed Merlin all of his classes and they were now moving on to the important places like bathrooms, the nurse’s office, and the best areas to skip class. Merlin enjoyed the other’s company. Gwaine had a magnificent sense of humor, enchanting hair, and Merlin was definitely not walking a few paces behind him solely to get a better view of his arse. Honest.

The two had engaged in friendly smallchat about various topics. Merlin was happy to chip in his responses here and there, but after a while he got the familiar wanting to probe. After all, what was a gift if you couldn’t use it? Merlin took a breath and channeled his thoughts, concentrating them on his companion.

The black-haired boy laughed, as the thoughts he was able to hone in on were a jumbled mess. ‘I think my shoe is untied. Is that five bucks in my pocket? I want a piece of gum. I wonder if Merlin has any gum. Merlin is pretty cool. I should invite him to sit with us at lunch. It is almost lunchtime. There is food at lunch. I should show Merlin the cafeteria.’ 

“Let me show you were the lunchroom is, buddy. It’s almost time to eat anyways and hey, you can eat with us!” Gwaine piped up cheerfully, causing Merlin to chuckled once more.

The brunette was correct: it was almost lunchtime. Students were crowding the hallways, making their way to a precious hour of freedom. Some had packed lunches, but others were choosing to go through the lines. Gwaine led them to the queue and started babbling on about the menu.

“I swear, it’s like we have chicken every day,” he was saying, “Don’t get me wrong, I’d take chicken over most of the other things they serve here, but they could be a bit more creative. Honestly, it’s like- Hey! Lance!” Gwaine called to a charming-looking boy across the cafeteria. 

Merlin assumed this was one of his tour guide’s mates. Gwaine looked like the popular type. He probably had bucket loads of friends to hang out with every day, unlike Merlin. Tomorrow Gwaine would probably forget his existence and Merlin would fade into the off-white hallway walls like every other school he went to. 

Gwaine looked at the other with concerned eyes. “You okay, mate?” 

“Oh, me? Fine. Let’s get through this god-forsaken line and meet these friends of yours.” Merlin nodded, trying to sound nonchalant. He failed miserably and ended up sounding just as nervous as he felt. 

The pair moved through the line, collecting food as they went. Gwaine was set on making the newcomer feel welcome. “Don’t worry, pal! They’ll love you. Especially Freya. She loves everyone!” His response was another nod and anxious glance from the large-eared boy. 

After they made it out of the horror that is a high school lunch line, Gwaine put his arm around Merlin’s shoulder and guided him outside towards the infamous friends.

“Everyone, this is Merlin Emrys, my new best friend!” the wizard-of-sorts’ supposed new best friend announced. Merlin gave a shy wave and tried not to look like a complete idiot. However, when he finally gave the lot a proper look, he found himself in the presence of the most eclectic mix of friends that a high school would ever see.

There was a raven-haired girl with thick eyeliner and ruby red lipstick, who greeted him first. “Hello, dear! I’m Morgana and this is Gwen,” she motioned to the girl beside her. Gwen had curly ringlets and flowers in her hair. She looked nice.

The boy Gwaine waved to before stood up and walked over to shake Merlin’s hand. “Lancelot. Nice to meet you! This here’s Will,” he informed, pointing to a nerdy male with freckles. “Over there is Leon. The one with that dreadful blonde hair-“

“Oi! It’s artfully messed!” Leon demanded.

Lancelot laughed and shook his head, “Whatever you say. Anyways, she is Frey-”

“I’m Freya! How are you? Merlin right?” The girl questioned a million miles a minute as she honest-to-god jumped over the picnic table to envelope Merlin in a hug.

“I told you she loves everyone,” Gwaine muttered fondly, taking a seat next to Leon. “Come and sit next to me and Arthur, mate.”

Merlin complied, but not without noticing the beauty that was Arthur. He had golden blonde hair, glimmering blue eyes, and sun-kissed skin that suggested he played a sport. He certainly gave Gwaine a run for his money.

“Merlin,” the raven-haired boy greeted, sticking his hand out towards Arthur. The other gave a small grin and shook the offered hand. “Arthur Pendragon. Charmed.” Gorgeous and polite? No fair.

~~  
Merlin found himself really liking Gwaine’s friends. They were all so kind to him, and the mind reader hoped that he would be allowed to sit with them the next day and perhaps the day after that. There wasn’t a single lull in conversation throughout the entire lunch period. 

The bell sounded and Merlin sighed, realizing that he was no longer excused from classes. Hesitantly, he stood up and gathered his things. He was almost ready to leave when a certain blonde turned around to fast, hit Merlin smack in the chest, and sent them both toppling to the ground.

“Shit, shit, shit! I am so sorry!” Arthur apologized, scurrying off of the other. “I didn’t mean to! I should really watch where I’m going. Here, let me help you up.” Merlin took the blonde’s hand and was pulled back up.

An awkward moment of silence ensued, letting Merlin’s curiosity get the best of him. Gently probing, he read the other’s thoughts. ‘God, why do you have to fuck things up? He probably hates you. Way to welcome the new kid.’

“I- I have to go,” Arthur announced and scurried off to class.

Merlin stared after him, suddenly wanting to know everything that there was to know about Arthur Pendragon. 

As if reading his mind (oh, the irony), Gwaine came out of nowhere and spoke, “Don’t mind Arthur. He’s a bit of a prat, but he means well.” Merlin only nodded in reply.

~~  
The school day went by fairly quickly and before Merlin knew it, he was entering his seventh period class; English. He was scanning the room for a familiar face when his eyes landed on Arthur from lunch. Merlin sauntered over and took the desk to the blonde’s left. Arthur was chatting with his mates on the right of him, who all went silent when Merlin sat down. 

“Hey, Arthur!” Merlin greeted the other cheerfully.

Arthur scoffed, “Who?”

Now Merlin was confused. “Merlin. Emrys? We met at lunch?”

Arthur’s friends laughed. “Right, okay. Whatever you say. If you could please not talk to me, that would be great.”

More snide laughter. The black-haired boy was in disbelief. “Fine. No need to be a dick.”

This time there was no laughter. “I would suggest that you keep your mouth shut,” the blonde threatened, “I just so happen to be a Pendragon. Do you know what that means?”

“I’m starting to think it means that you are a two-faced prat.”

“It means that I can pull strings. And they will move how I want them to move. So I would just close that big mouth of yours before you really piss me off, okay?”

On second thought, maybe Merlin was just fine without being buddies with Arthur Pendragon.

~~  
“Merlin! Wait up!” a feminine voice called as Merlin was walking to his car. He turned around and grinned.

“Hello, Freya!”

The excitable girl ran up and gave Merlin a semi-suffocating hug. “How was your first day at Camelot High, newbie?”

“Not terrible. Could I offer you a ride home?” Freya nodded and the two hopped in the vehicle. Merlin’s new friend loved to turn the radio all the way up and sing along to the same indie rock songs that he himself loved so dearly. It was nice, Merlin decided, to have friends. He felt great, already being accepted into a group in only one day. When they arrived at Freya’s house, the girl leaned over and kissed Merlin on the cheek before waving goodbye and walking up the steps to her house.

In her absence, Merlin kept singing along to the radio until he found himself at home. Gaius was waiting inside with a tray of what looked like chocolate chip cookies. He was smiling and asking questions about the boy’s first day at his new school. 

“A group of friends, Gaius! Can you believe it? There’s Gwaine, who is charming, and Will who tells really brilliant jokes, and Lancelot, he is one of the super kind guys. Oh! And this girl named Morgana who is going to lend me a few CD’s, and Gwen who is so sweet, and Freya and she is just a darling.” Merlin gushed.

“So I’ll take it that the day went well for you?” Gaius chuckled, pouring them both a glass of milk to go with the still-hot treats.

“Well, mostly.”

“Mostly?”

Merlin sighed, “There is this boy named Arthur. I thought we got on okay at lunch, but I saw him again in class and he was just so rude. Claiming that he was a Pendragon and was therefore entitled to being a complete clotpole.”

The old man patted his nephew on the shoulder. “The Pendragons are quite the bunch, Merlin. They have a rather large sum of money and power. I’m afraid that it has turned them bitter. I would advise that you simply try to ignore Arthur and focus on these other friends that you seem to get along nicely with.”

But that was the problem. Merlin could not ignore Arthur. No one could just ignore Arthur Pendragon. He was gorgeous, good at his classes, charismatic, witty, and, as clichés would have it, the captain of the football team. However, that wasn’t just it. There was something… off about him. Something did not settle right about Arthur with the raven-haired boy. Merlin intended to find out what it was.

~~  
Merlin sat in between Will and Gwaine in his last class before lunch a week later. The three talked throughout the entire class, bored to tears with hearing Mrs. Alice drone on and on about biology in her monotone voice. Merlin took this as an opportunity to ask about a certain two-faced prat.

“So really, what is Arthur’s deal?” he inclined.

Gwaine snorted. Will asked, “What do you mean?”

“When I first met him at lunch he was all Mr. Charming, but in last period he was a complete douche, that’s what I mean. What’s his problem?” Merlin pressed, waving his arms around in wide gestures.

Gwaine laughed, “Well, he practically runs the school, you know. He’s a Pendragons and all, which makes him instantly popular.”

“I guess it gives him a lot of pressure. He’s usually totally cool around us,” Will continued, “I mean, we never hang out with him around his other friends. He’s sort of in two different groups of people that never associate with one another. Don’t want to associate with each other. But he’s never rude to either, or really anyone else for that matter.”

Merlin sighed. “So why has he decided to hate me?”

“He doesn’t hate you, mate.” Gwaine reassured. Merlin did not find this comforting at all and eyed them each with an evil glare.

“Okay, fine. I really couldn’t tell you why, though. Arthur Pendragon is an enigma, I tell you. Some days he looks like a pretty glum guy, but most of the time he looks right as rain,” Will spoke solemnly. “I worry about him sometimes.”

“Why?” Gwaine questioned. “He looks just fine to me. Serves him right to feel a little guilty about his apparently expanding ego. I say-”

“Boys!” Mrs. Alice barked, “You either get back to work or ride along with me to pick up the dead animals you will be dissecting in class after school.” That shut them up for the rest of the period.  
~~  
“Hello everyone!” Gwen smiled as Will, Gwaine, and Merlin took a seat at the now complete lunch table. Merlin waved to his new crew and sat down next to Morgana. 

“Oh, Merlin! I have that mix CD for you. Made it myself,” she offered excitedly.

“Brilliant, Morgs! Thanks!” Morgana leaned over to give him a warm hug. 

Freya and Gwen squealed loudly with cries of ‘Aww!’ Merlin blushed bright red. It was true that Morgana was, well, a very attractive lady. Their relationship was purely platonic, but that didn’t keep Merlin’s hands from growing sweaty.

“No PDA, kids,” Arthur smirked sarcastically.

“Don’t worry, we can share Merlin, Arthur dear,” Morgana grinned, elbowing Merlin in the side.

The blonde only rolled his eyes, “Ha! I think I’ll pass on that one.”

“Oi,” Freya piped up, “I’m down for sharing with Morgana.” Merlin found that his face had no permanently changed to tomato-red.

“Of course you would be, Freya. You’re down for sharing with anyone. Remember Gilli? Or perhaps Percy? Oh, and let’s not forget your little ‘experiment’ with Sophia. Even our old friend Lancelot over here. It’s no wonder you’d go for someone as utterly talentless and clumsy as our pal Merlin over here. In fact, I bet you-”

“Don’t you know when to stop, Pendragon?” Gwaine sneered bitterly. 

Arthur took in his surroundings. Freya was way out in the distance, crying as she ran. Gwen and Morgana were chasing after her, rushing to comfort her. Lancelot was glaring at the blonde with intent fury. Merlin had crushed a plastic cup in his hands and Will was desperately trying to uncoil the raven-haired boy’s fingers from said object. They appeared to have a death-grip on the thing. 

“I-” Arthur began. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, mate? Well it’s a little too late for that. Now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to see if Freya is alright.” Gwaine scowled. Lancelot followed his friend’s exit.

The blonde looked at the remainder of his table and felt tears threatening in his eyes. “Merlin I-”

“You know what, you bloody prat? Save it. I’ve only tried to be nice to you since I first came to this god-forsaken school and you’ve made it pretty clear that you want nothing to do with me. So goodbye, Princess Douchebag. Have a nice rest of your lunch.” 

Merlin stormed off in the direction that Freya had fled. Will walked over to Arthur and put a hand on his arm. “You really fucked up, man.”

~~

That day in English, Merlin sat in the very back corner. It was the seat farthest away from Arthur Pendragon as possible. The blonde snuck Merlin guilty glances all throughout the class, but the latter simply ignored him. 

When the bell rang, Merlin tried to make his way out, but was caught by the arm by none other than the instigator himself.

“Merlin, look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-” Arthur tried, sounding surprisingly sincere. However, the other was having none of his excuses.

“Piss off! I don’t want to hear it!”

Merlin attempted to wriggle free of Arthur’s grasp, causing the blonde to only tighten his grip. “Just listen to me!”

“No!” the black-haired yelled, yanking his arm as hard as possible. Arthur was still holding on however, and the force of the push sent him crashing down on top of Merlin, knocking over a cart on the way. Unfortunately, the cart held three empty graduated cylinders falling and breaking into pieces on the floor as the two shielded their eyes from harm. 

“Boys!” Mr. Kilgharrah bellowed, sounding breathless from running into the room. “What have you done?” 

The two stood up silently, awaiting the wrath of their teacher. There wasn’t much they could have said about the incident. They had fought rather loudly for one. Secondly, remnants of the glass were scattered all over the floor, leaving practically nothing to the imagination.

“You boys have been going at it since Mr. Emrys moved here. I have about had enough. This will not go without punishment,” the teacher scolded. “I keep a special project in mind for situations like these. You two would be the perfect kids for the job.”

Merlin shifted his weight to the other foot, “What- what is it?”

“Each of you will have to submit your own writing about the other. You could create a poem, short story, or perhaps even a song. It’s up to you. But one thing is for sure, you will find at least something redeeming about the other. Perhaps this project will convince you to end your quarrels.”

Arthur looked about the highest form of displeased. “I refuse!”

Mr. Kilgharrah smiled maliciously and spoke, “Then you will fail the class.”

“I am a Pendragon! You cannot make me do this!”

“You will find, Mr. Pendragon, that I can,” the professor decided. “And just to be sure, I am talking to the librarian after I finish with you two. You will meet each other in the school library after this class on Friday. There you will have a civilized conversation about each other to gain material for your research.”

“This is absurd!” Arthur whined, throwing his hands in the air, defeated.

Mr. Kilgharrah ignored the comment and continued. “If you do not show up or if either of you cause trouble, I will be informed. However, I will only make you meet up this once, although I encourage you continue keep on with it. Bonding after school will not only improve your grade on this project, but will see to the friendship that you boys have the potential to achieve.” 

The young Pendragon fumed where he stood. Curious Merlin took this as a chance to delve into his mind. What he found was a resounding usage of the word ‘fuck’. What a coincidence! This happened to be the exact word that was on repeat in the wizard-of-sorts’ brain as well.

“Are we done here?” the blonde fumed, earning a sharp nod from his teacher.

The brunette boy watched as the Arthur stormed away, slamming the door behind him. ‘This project is going to be impossible,’ Merlin thought, following the exit that his not-so-friendly acquaintance had taken. 

This was going to be a long week.

~~  
“Good luck with Mr. Grouch today,” Freya chuckled. She had proven to be quite a sport about Arthur’s rude words. She had forgiven him quickly and pulled him into one of her signature hugs earlier in the week.

Merlin rolled his eyes, “Uhg. Freya, this is going to go perfectly horridly.”

The lively girl leaned over in her third period seat to ruffle Merlin’s hair. “You don’t know that, Merls. Give him a second chance. For me? He’s really not all that bad.” Merlin didn’t look convinced, so she continued. “You know, I was new here two years ago and he was just a peach. He introduced me to the whole school yelling, ‘All marvel at the Lady Freya in all her grace and beauty!’ He was so great to me. Great to all of us, really.”

“Except me. What have I ever done to offend him?” Merlin cried, burying his head in his hands.

“I’m not really sure, mate. But he’ll come round.”

“Well I sure hope so, because-”

“Mr. Emrys!” the teacher acknowledged. Merlin decided that he really needed to stop getting in trouble in class. “Pray tell me the answer to the question I just asked?”

Nervously, the boy looked from left to right before remembering a helpful question-answering tactic. He hurriedly probed the mind of his teacher and came up with an answer of…

“Sixty-nine.”

The teacher looked impressed. “Well done, Mr. Emrys. Now class, open your textbooks to page two hundred and twelve.”

Freya was quite nearly tearing up laughing at Merlin’s answer. The boy shook his head fondly, “You are so immature.”

A few hours later and Merlin was contemplating telling Will the same thing at lunch. His nerdy friend was attempting to throw grapes into the air and catch him with his mouth. He was failing. Horribly.

“Mate, I don’t think you’ve caught a single grape,” Gwaine stated, laughing.

“No?” Will asked. “Then watch this!” The boy slowly hoisted one of the green fruits into the air, never letting go. Then, he slowly brought the grape to his lips and popped it into his mouth.

The table burst into giggles and Morgana shouted, “You didn’t even let go of the grape! Illegal move in the game of grapes!”

Will stood up to defend his honor. “It’s perfectly legal! There is nothing in the Grape Rule Book that states otherwise!”

“Then I am rewriting the rules!” Morgana chuckled as she stood up as well.

“Shall we settle this in the most noble of ways? I challenge thee to a thumb war!” 

The two thumb-wrestled nine times before they finally declared Morgana the winner. Merlin laughed along with his friends and found himself having a great day. He had almost completely forgotten the impending doom that waited for him after school until Arthur himself showed up at the table.

“Hello everyone!” he greeted. The group had mostly forgiven him after the blonde had apologized profusely and gave them each a too-large coffee cup filled with some fancy concoction Merlin had never heard of.

“Afternoon, Pendragon,” Gwaine grinned.

“Afternoon, everyone. How are we doing today?” Arthur beamed his prize-winning smile.

Morgana smirked, “Pretty crummy now that you’re here.”

“Don’t be like that Morgs,” Arthur stuck his bottom lip out in a pout and added, “You wound me.”

Morgana grinned and watched as Arthur walked over to Freya, knelt down on one knee, and kissed her hand as a prince would to his lady. “Hello, my dear Freya. You are looking lovely today, do you know that?”

Freya giggled, “You’re such the charmer, Pendragon.” 

To this, Arthur shrugged and took a seat on the end of the bench next to Merlin. That was… odd. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but Merlin was fairly certain that we wasn’t of feline decent and let it get the best of him.

He looked into the blonde boy’s head carefully, making sure he couldn’t be sensed. He heard, ‘Alright Pendragon, keep it cool. You can do this. They’re just your friends. Yeah, your friends that hate you because you act like a dick to them all the time.’ Merlin snorted at this, which got him a few concerned looks from his tablemates. He waved them off and waited until they picked up a new topic before he let himself probe back in.

‘Honestly, I they don’t even like you anyways. Why do you even still sit here? They are all far better off without you. You should just leave. They would probably thank you. You are useless.’

That certainly caught Merlin’s attention. He snapped out of his trance and looked up to see Arthur staring at him intently. It was kind of like the way you would stare at someone while thinking nasty things about him or her. Like the way you would stare at someone if you despised them. 

Well, if Arthur and everyone else hated Merlin that much then he could put them out of their misery. But he would not cry. No. Not now. Not in front of Arthur. However, Merlin would leave. He could manage that. He shot one venomous look at Arthur before grabbing his things, and getting the hell out of there before he could be seen quite nearly on the verge of tears. 

He could hear Freya and Will calling after him. He could hear Gwaine yelling at Arthur, “What did you do to him?!” and then Arthur frantically replying, “I swear! I have no idea!” He could hear Morgana’s struggling to catch up with him in her high-heel shoes, but failing. Good. Merlin didn’t want to talk to anyone.

He ran all the way to park located off of school grounds. Merlin sat down on one of the swings and held is head in his hands. Just for once, couldn’t he find a real group of friends? Why did he have to chase everyone away? Merlin could only imagine what a freak they would think he was if he told him his secret. If they hated him so much now, they would despise him then. 

Merlin gave up and let himself unravel. He was just so… upset and pissed off at himself. In a fit of rage, Merlin threw a punch at the brick wall of the park’s restroom building. It felt nice letting his anger finally out, but the aftermath wasn’t quite as pleasant. The black-haired boy’s knuckles started to bleed badly and ache horribly. To make matters worse, Merlin had just remembered his library date with Arthur at the library. He almost thought about skipping, but recalled Mr. Kilgharrah’s words. Reluctantly, Merlin made his way back to the school just in time to hear the final bell ring. 

Upon entering the library, he heard a familiar voice yell, “Merlin! I thought you weren’t going to show.” Arthur. He was sitting at a table in the back, calling far too loudly to be appropriate for a library setting. 

Merlin made his way over to the prat and sat down, slinging his bag over the chair. “Hi.”

“So, uh, how are you?” Arthur tried as a greeting.

“Fine.”

“Look, whatever happened at lunch… I’m not really sure what I did, but if I did something just tell me and-”

Merlin sighed, “Just save it, okay. I don’t want to fail English and neither do you so let’s just get on with this, okay?”

“Okay,” the blonde repeated slowly. “Well, let’s start out easy. Favourite song?”

Ah, music. Merlin could do this. “’All the Same’ by Sick Puppies.”

Arthur looked thoughtful before declaring, “Never heard it. Maybe you could play it for me sometime.”

“Maybe,” Merlin agreed carefully. “What’s yours?”

“’Rough Landing, Holly’ by Yellowcard.”

“Wow, not bad for a pratface,” Merlin smiled. Smiled? Merlin was smiling? With Arthur? 

“You sure know your way with a compliment, Merlin. Let me show you how to do it the right way,” he paused, “Your music taste is almost as perfect as your face.”

Merlin blushed. Actually blushed. “See?” Arthur grinned his famous smile, “That’s how you do it.”

“Thanks, but flattery won’t get you a good report on my English project,” the other informed.

“Shame.”

“You think you’re really something, huh?” Merlin questioned.

Arthur shrugged half-heartedly. “On with the interview. Why did you move here?”

“This got just got a bit personal, don’t you think?” 

Another shrug.

“Fine. I guess I didn’t… fit in? At the other schools?”

Arthur raised an eyebrow, “Schools? As in there were more?”

Merlin laughed a little, “Yeah, you wouldn’t believe how many schools I’ve transferred to and from. It’s a bit like being a rock star on tour from one place to another.”

“Why?”

“Why do I switch so often?”

Arthur nodded, intrigued in the reply.

“Like I said, I don’t fit in. Anywhere. I’ve practically no friends. My grades are fine, but that doesn’t seem to really matter when you are getting your head beaten into a locker between periods.” Merlin stared intently at the library desk.

“But you have friends here, right?” Arthur fixed his eyes on Merlin. If he didn’t know better, the black-haired boy might have said that he even looked sincere.

“I had really hoped so.”

Arthur reached his hand out to place on top of Merlin’s. The comfort was startling and Merlin pulled his hand away immediately. “Sorry,” Arthur mumbled. “I just wanted to say that you do. Have friends here, I mean.”

Merlin scoffed, “Please. I know I’m annoying and weird, okay?”

“They love you, Merlin. Adore you. Honest.” 

“Why are you doing this Arthur? I know you hate me. It’s okay. I know you want a good grade, but this is really just too far.”

“I don’t hate you!” Arthur demanded, earning him a skeptical look. “Okay, I know I’m a dick, but hear me out. You and me, we’re, well, kind of the same.”

“Trust me,” Merlin looked at the Pendragon right in the eyes with a certain fire, “We are nothing alike.”

“I think you’re wrong.” The blonde insisted.

“Arthur, we are more different than you could ever imagine. For one, I’m not a douchebag to all my friends and a suck-up to everyone else!”

“Well at least I’m not some sort of big-eared freak who thinks they just know how everyone feels!”

“Well then tell me, Arthur, how does everyone feel if you are so special?” 

Arthur stood up, face fire-engine red, “I don’t know how everyone feels, but right now I’m feeling like you are a big god-damn waste of my time!”

Merlin stood as well, slinging his backpack on his shoulders. “Well then let me put you out of your misery!” With those words, he stormed away from Arthur for the second time that day.

~~

The next day proved to be a sunny Saturday. The sudden ring of the doorbell interrupted a once-peaceful morning at Gaius and Merlin’s comfortable home. Arthur waited on the doorstep, clutching two hot cups of coffee. The door opened, revealing an old man that the young Pendragon had never met.

“Ah, hello. I’m Gaius; and how may I help you, young man?” the elder asked.

“I uh,” the blonde cleverly responded, “I’m here to see Merlin.”

Gaius cocked in eyebrow in a way that slightly disturbed Arthur. He rather thought that no one should be able to move his or her eyebrows in such a way.

“Oh, yes. You must be Arthur. Sorry, but I think that is quite a terrible idea and will have to decline your offer. Do come again,” Gaius moved to close the door, but Arthur was quick to interject.

“Look, I know I screwed up with Merlin-”

A scoff. “I believe that is the understatement of the century.”

“But I am here to make it up to him.”

Gaius frowned, “And I suppose you think you can do that with caffeinated beverages?”

“As a start, yes.”

A sigh. “Come in. He’s upstairs. End of the hall on the left.”

“Thank you,” Arthur added solemnly before making his way to Merlin’s room.

The Pendragon knocked on twice on the wooden entrance and waited for a reply. 

“Gaius!” Merlin called from the other side of the door. “I was just about to come and grab you. Did you know that-” The raven-haired boy’s face fell as soon as Arthur’s face was revealed. “What are you doing here?”

“I’ve come to make amends,” the blonde explained.

Merlin eyed him, looking furious, “With coffee?!”

“Is it working?”

“A bit, yes.” Merlin took the drink and sipped it carefully, making sure not to burn his tongue.

“Don’t worry, it’s not just coffee.”

The mind reader smirked, “Oh?”

“Well, as you could probably guess, I didn’t gather much information for my project last time we met. I was wondering if you would take a walk with me.”

“A walk?” Merlin asked, incredulously, “You want me to take a stroll with you?”

Arthur looked at his feet, appearing unsure for once. “That was the plan.”

“Only since you went through all the trouble.”

Arthur shrugged, “Well, it wasn’t that much trouble, really.”

“Oh, okay.” Merlin took two steps backwards and slammed the door closed in front of Arthur. The Pendragon was taken by complete surprise when some indie-rock song started blaring in Merlin’s room.

“Merlin! No! I didn’t mean it like that!” Arthur pleaded, pounding on the door and trying to yell about the music.

The music stopped and Merlin opened the door again, smiling from ear to ear. “I know. We had better get on then, eh?” Arthur watched silently as the boy bounded through the hallway, down the stairs, and then listened as the front door opened and closed.

Arthur finally caught up with Merlin in the driveway, out of breath. “Slow poke,” the black-haired boy teased.

“You’re cheery for someone who is meant to be upset with me,” Arthur wondered, earning a shrug from the other.

“Let’s play a game,” Merlin proposed after a few awkward seconds of silence. “I read about it in a book. We ask each other questions. You can either answer, or not answer, but you always have to end in a question.”

Arthur nodded slowly, “Okay. What’s your favourite colour?”

“Blue. What’s yours?”

“Red.”

Merlin smiled, “One point for me!”

“Damn,” the blonde whispered. “Why didn’t you fit in with your other schoolmates?”

“Whom do you live with?”

Arthur looked disappointed. “My father and Morgana. What about you?”

“Morgana? You’re serious?”

“Yeah, she’s my sister. You have a sister?”

“No. But hell, I would’ve never guessed. Favourite thing about yourself?” Merlin asked.

“What’s your family like?” Arthur asked quickly enough for the other to notice, but not say anything about it.

“Gaius is the best uncle and guardian I could have asked for. You?”

A sigh. “Stressful. Always on my back, y’know? I guess that’s any parents for you, eh? If you don’t mind me asking, why do you live with Gaius?”

“My mother is dead and I don’t know my father. Favourite book?”

Arthur looked surprised. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.” Merlin waved him off. “Ah, and it’s The Hobbit. A classic right?”

“Definitely. Mine’s Peter Pan. Or any of the Sherlock Holmes stories. Both classics. Anyway, what sport do you play?”

“Why do you just assume I play a sport?” Arthur inquired.

“Lucky guess. Do you always apologize with coffee?” Merlin wondered, taking another sip of his drink.

“Sometimes. When does this game usually end?”

“When one of us gets bored. Are you bored?”

“No, course not.” 

Merlin grinned, “Another point for me. Two to zero. You’re losing, Pendragon. Not familiar with losing, are you?”

“Again with the assumptions, Emrys?”

“My apologies, your majesty.” Merlin rolled his eyes. “Oh, god, I’m running out. Favourite movie?” 

The raven-haired boy took another drink and listened to his companion’s question. “What’s your number?”

Merlin choked on his coffee. “Pardon?”

Arthur chuckled, “Your number? The code of digits that will connect my phone to yours? Could I have it, perhaps?”

“You are unbelievable.”

“One point for team Arthur, “ the blonde grinned. “But honestly, Merlin. I am sorry. For everything. Would you forgive me? We could start over. I promise to be better if you’ll just forgive me.”

Merlin stared at him, looking for any signs of a lie. He couldn’t find one. Instead, he took a little probe to confirm his findings. 

‘Please, please, please, please, please let him forgive me. Please?’

That was enough for Merlin. “Okay. Mates?” he asked, extending a hand in a silent inquiry of truce.

“Mates.” Arthur smiled a different smile this time. A true one. A real smile. And it was infectious.

~~

The next week had gone by fairly well by Merlin’s standards. He could say with absolute certainty that Arthur was not bothering him. At all. In fact, Merlin had barely seen him the whole week. Merlin found that he had been disappointed with the revelation that made him realize he was being ignored. 

It hurt, for starters. Merlin had really wanted to start over with Arthur. He had grown a sort of secret fondness for the blonde. He would never tell anyone this, but Merlin was missing Arthur something terrible. It was like the wizard-of-sorts had a Pendragon-shaped hole punched through him. 

At first, Merlin thought the lack of Arthur had been just a coincidence. The blonde didn’t come to lunch on Monday, but no one had thought anything of it. On some days, the Pendragon was known to skip lunch for sports or studies. But then Arthur didn’t show again of Tuesday. This was unusual, but not completely uncalled for. It was when he missed lunch for the third time in a row on Wednesday that the group began to worry.

However, Arthur wasn’t just skipping lunch periods. Merlin had only seen him twice in seventh period that past week. Mr. Kilgharrah eyed Merlin as though he could tell something was wrong, and rightfully so. Arthur never skipped class. For a prat, he did take his studies seriously and maintained stellar marks.

If this wasn’t enough, Merlin never saw Arthur before, after, or in between classes. Merlin began to wonder if the blonde was purposefully taking new routes to class just to avoid him. But then again, no one else in the group seemed to know what was wrong with Arthur either. One day, purely by chance, Merlin caught sight of Arthur at his locker. However, after the Pendragon had seen a glimpse of Merlin, he had taken off, leaving the other hurt and confused. How were they supposed to start over if Arthur never even gave Merlin a chance?

Here the upset boy sat, waiting on his friend Freya to accompany him in the school’s library. It was raining outside, giving the dull Friday an especially dreary feel. There was barely any noise, making it even too quiet for a library.

A tap on his shoulder broke Merlin’s thoughts. “Ready to study?” Freya asked, sounding tired. The day had taken a toll on everyone, the wizard-of-sorts supposed.

“I suppose,” he sighed. 

Freya took the seat across from her study mate and dug around in her bag for a textbook. “Alright, so maths.”

“Look, Freya, I really don’t feel up to studying today,” Merlin confessed.

“You’re worried about Arthur.” Merlin was about to protest, but Freya continued. “It’s alright. We all are. I don’t know what has gotten into him. He’s so… distant.”

“I think he’s ignoring me and I don’t know why.”

Freya looked thoughtful. “Has anything else happened between you two to make him edgy?”

“No! That’s the thing! He came round to apologize and we decided to start over. Then, I come to school on Monday and he doesn’t want anything to do with me!” Merlin exclaimed, breaking the silence of the room.

“Keep your voice down, Merlin!” Freya whispered harshly.

“Why?!”

“Arthur is right over there!” 

“Oh,” Merlin smartly retorted. He checked behind his shoulder and lo and behold, Arthur was there. The blonde was curled up in the far corner of the library. He was clutching a book over his too-red face and appeared to be shaking.

“There is something seriously wrong, Merlin. I think you need to talk to him,” Freya spoke solemnly.

“I’m the last person he would ever want to talk to. I think it would be best to just give him the space he needs to get over whatever it is that’s bothering him.” However, Merlin didn’t quite believe his words. In fact, he wanted to know exactly what was wrong with Arthur and how he could fix it. This scared him.

“Maybe what Arthur needs is a little-” Merlin didn’t catch the rest of Freya’s tangent in favor of tuning into Arthur’s thoughts. 

They read, ‘You’re useless. You’ve gone and messed up with all of your friends. They hate you. You’re completely worthless, Arthur. You annoy everyone you meet. Your own family hates you. Why don’t you just disappear forever? It would be better for everyone, really.’

That’s when it hit him. Arthur did not hate Merlin. Arthur hated himself. This hatred ran deep, as Merlin could hear. The young Pendragon’s words at lunch days ago were not aimed at Merlin. They were the words of Arthur arguing over his own self-worth, which apparently did not amount to much. 

‘Just go away. Forever. Please? It’ll be so much easier to just-‘

“No!” Merlin yelled, startling everyone in the library with his sudden outburst. He couldn’t take hearing Arthur talk to himself like that. Merlin needed to do something, but not here, not now.

“I- I need to go,” he told Freya, gathering his things and leaving before he could make eye contact with the boy in the corner of the library, silently beating himself into a pulp.

~~

Starting the very next Monday, Merlin began to tune into Arthur’s brain at every chance he could take. He knew that this was insanely creepy, but it would also help Merlin with project Help-Arthur-Realize-That-He’s-Really-Pretty-Great. Not a very creative name, but it would do.

He first put this plan into action at lunch. It became evident that Arthur had some problems at home with his father, who held unrealistic expectations of his son and expected him to follow in his father’s footsteps. 

In seventh period on Tuesday, Merlin learned that Arthur was very fond of Morgana, even though he didn’t always show it. He would talk to her after the fights with his father and sometimes camp out in her bedroom. He never told her about his intense self-hatred, though. Arthur thought that no one should ever know about that problem. Merlin felt a bit guilty over learning this.

The same time the next day, the mind reader found out that Arthur had lost his mother on the date of his birth. He often wished that he could see her, even if only in pictures. However, his father hid all of the photographs of her. Arthur doesn’t even know her name. He constantly blames himself for his mother’s death.

The young Pendragon did not show up for school on Wednesday, which worried Merlin. His friends laughed and told him that everyone misses a day of school at some point and to calm down, but he couldn’t help wondering if something was wrong. 

The next day, Arthur was back, but not back to normal. He barely talked at all and kept to himself the whole lunch period. The rest of the group carried on with their banter, but Merlin stayed quiet, focusing his mind into Arthur’s. What he found were images; images after images of self-harm. Merlin didn’t know if these were only thoughts or actual memories, though he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know.

Merlin stood up and walked over to where Arthur was sitting. He grabbed the blonde’s wrist and pulled him away from the table and over to a tree out of earshot from his friends.

“What’s going on, Arthur?”

The blonde started intently at his feet. “Nothing.”

“Liar. Is it me?” Merlin asked gently, not wanting to anger the other.

“No!” Arthur snapped his head up to look at Merlin. “God, no. It’s not you.”

“Are you sure? Because it just feels like you’re ignoring me and I just wanted us to try again as friends.”

“Me too, me too! I just, god, I’m sorry. You haven’t done anything, I promise. Just worried about my science exam. Not my best subject, eh?” Arthur faked a smile, which looked decidedly strained. “Really, don’t worry about me, Merls. I can take care of myself. Let’s get back to lunch, mate.”

Merlin wasn’t convinced and the resounding, ‘Look, you’ve gone and hurt Merlin. You’ve done it again, Pendragon,’ in Arthur’s head was only proof that the blonde was not okay.

‘It’s time for phase two,’ Merlin decided.

~~

Phase two included leaving positive notes anonymously for Arthur to find. He left the first one in the blonde’s locker on Monday the next week reading, “You look nice today.” Simple, yes, but it seemed to do the trick when Arthur appeared slightly perkier in seventh period.

“Afternoon, Arthur,” Merlin smiled.

“Hey,” the other greeted shyly before settling in for class. This was a start, and a good one at that.

The next day, Merlin placed another note in Arthur’s locker, this time reading, “You look even better when you smile. You should try it more often.”

The black-haired boy figured that his note had been found when Arthur strolled up to the group’s lunch table looking like a million bucks. He was smiling and saying hello to everyone. The young Pendragon took a seat next to Merlin, clapping a hand on his back. “Hello, Merlin!”

“Something’s got you feeling cheery, Arthur,” Merlin noted slyly. “Pray tell.”

The other beamed in reply. “Someone’s been leaving me little notes in my locker.”

Merlin’s heart swelled, happy to be the cause of Arthur’s newfound joy. “Oh really? Sounds like you’ve got a secret admirer.”

“Perhaps,” the blonde laughed. “After all, who could resist these good looks?”

“Ah, there’s that pratiness that’s been missing from my life.”

However, the joy seemed to be short-lived. When Arthur slumped into seventh period, Merlin could tell something was wrong once again. A quick probe told the wizard-of-sorts all that he needed to know. 

It seemed that the blonde had a rather large crush. He refused to let himself think about whom, however, which left Merlin wondering. Arthur constantly told himself that he was not good enough for this person. He would beat himself up about his own personality and appearance, making him miserable. Merlin was not having any of this.

The next day in English class, Arthur found a note waiting on his desk. Looking confused, he turned to Merlin. “Did you leave this?”

Merlin shook his head ‘no’ innocently and returned to preparing himself for class. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Arthur read the note to himself. Today, it read, “I know that you think you aren’t good enough, but you’re perfect to me.”

Merlin thought that this would be a bit forward, but hell, he had come to admit his feelings to himself. He liked Arthur. A lot. He wanted the blonde to like him back. Though more importantly now, he had decided, he wanted Arthur to like himself. So here he was, throwing his heart out on the line, albeit anonymously, trying his best to boost Arthur’s self-esteem.

There was nothing more rewarding in this world, Merlin thought, than seeing the look on the young Pendragon’s face as he read the letter. The smile was shy and elated simultaneously. Merlin watched as his note was carefully tucked into the other’s planner as if it were something precious. For a second, he thought he could see the other notes tucked away as well, bearing not so much as a crease in the paper. In that moment, Merlin wanted so bad to kiss Arthur, but for now, the never-fading grin that held on the blonde’s face was good enough. He would do everything in his power to make sure that Arthur was smiling like that all the time.

Phase two seemed to be passing with flying colours. The day after, in English, Arthur found yet another note. Merlin denied leaving it, as he had yesterday, and watched the other’s face light up once again. Today the anonymous letter had read, “I don’t like seeing you sad. You deserve to always be happy. Smile, Arthur Pendragon.” 

The blonde turned to his newfound friend, “I wonder who has been leaving these.”

“Hm,” Merlin half-nodded in acknowledgement, not wanting to give himself away.

“The handwriting seems a bit familiar, don’t you think?” 

‘Shit,’ was what Merlin thought, “Not to me,” is what Merlin said. He prayed that the slight shaking in his hand wouldn’t give him away. Yes, he wanted to help Arthur, but it wasn’t exactly on his agenda to spill his feelings for the bloke. Not yet or anytime soon.

“Maybe you’re right, but I could have sworn I’d seen it before,” the Pendragon decided, racking his brain for who. 

On a nervous impulse, Merlin entered the mind of his friend. Arthur was hashing out who could have been leaving the notes and had a list including Freya, Gwaine, and Will, but not Merlin. The wizard-or-sorts exhaled, relieved, and laughed as Arthur mentally crossed Gwaine off his list. This earned him a strange glance from the blonde.

“What’s so funny?” 

Merlin waved him off, “Nothing, nothing.”

Arthur just shrugged, “Whatever you say, prat.”

“One,” the black-haired boy began, “I am not a prat. You are the prat. And two, that is my word.”

“Yes, and it suits you perfectly,” the other grinned cheekily.

~~

At last Friday came, the day of Arthur and Merlin’s presentations. The two were both extremely nervous the whole day. The lunch table group even seemed to notice that something was odd.

“Okay, what’s going on with you two today?” Morgana demanded.

“Yeah,” Will chimed in, “You guys are acting awfully strange. Strange even for you now, Pendragon. What’s up?”

Freya slammed her fist on the table. “We demand answers! And smiles! This instant!”

Merlin sensed Arthur’s distress of all the questioning and made himself the one to provide their answers. “We both have really important presentations to give last period. I guess we’re a bit nervous. That’s all.”

“Well cheer up, my pretties,” Freya cooed. “I can’t bear to see such somber faces.”

“I’m sure you’ll do fine, mates,” reassured Gwaine. Hell, if Gwaine was comforting them, then they really must be going to do okay. Arthur must have been thinking the same thing, as he chuckled along with Merlin.

The dreaded English class approached far sooner than Merlin thought was possible. Mr. Kilgharrah shot him an encouraging smile as he took his normal seat. However, this didn’t help to ease the black-haired boy’s nerves at all. Merlin was dreading this day. He knew that after his presentation Arthur would know. He would know who left the notes, he would know that Merlin was aware of his problems, and he would also know that the wizard-of-sorts felt a little something more than friendship for the blonde. 

And he did. Merlin was completely besotted with Arthur by now. He constantly sought out ways to make his friend smile, even if he only was able to see him briefly each day. The Pendragon no longer acted rude to Merlin, but quite the opposite. Shy grins and light jokes were made from Arthur, each playing over and over in the other’s mind, making his stomach a field of butterflies. Taking his seat, Merlin began to feel a bit sick.

“Today’s the big day,” Arthur remarked from beside him. “You feeling alright, mate?”

Merlin nodded, “Fine. You?”

“You know.” And Merlin did know. He knew more than he should and he knew it was wrong, but he couldn’t help himself.

The bell rang and Mr. Kilgharrah took his place in front of the class. “Alright, everyone. Today we have two very special presentations from Arthur Pendragon and Merlin Emrys. They were asked to learn a bit about each other, maybe even become friends, and then submit a project based on their findings of the other person. So sit back, relax, and don’t even think about using your cell phones or I will assign you a project along the same line. You can ask your classmates, it’s not a very pleasant experience. Or maybe it was, we shall see. Arthur?”

Merlin shot his mate a reassuring nod and watched as the bloke walked to the front of the classroom. Arthur looked extremely nervous, but was still able to maintain some sort of composure. 

“For my project, I’ve written a poem about Merlin. So, uh, everyone, Merlin, I hope you like it.” The blonde shifted his weight a few times, closed and opened his eyes, and took a deep breath before he began.

“As a merlin flies gently in the wind  
He flits through your heart wandering silently  
A certain bird of happiness  
Wings spread around you comforting  
Always there  
Always smiling  
Always above your head  
Watching you softly  
A shadow of safety cast upon you  
Maybe I’m not so alone after all  
Maybe I won’t take a fall  
If that merlin flies above my head  
Some things are better left unsaid  
Thank you for the days we’ve had  
And keeping me from being sad.”

Arthur finished his poem with silence. The quiet seemed to cast a blanket of stillness over the room. No one spoke for what seemed like minutes. The blonde fixed his eyes carefully of the floor, never daring to look up. That is, until the entire class erupted into applause and Merlin stood from his chair. The boy ran up to Arthur and wrapped his arms around him, capturing them both in a bone-crushing hug. 

“Thank-you,” Merlin whispered amongst the clapping.

Arthur was stunned and made no response. Mr. Kilgharrah waited until the two boys pulled apart to place a congratulatory arm upon Arthur’s shoulders.

“Thank, Mr. Pendragon, for that informative and heart-worming work. Now, if you will all settle down, we will have a final presentation from Mr. Merlin Emrys.”

Arthur nodded once and strode over to his seat. On his way, he was greeted with smiles and positive remarks. However, Arthur was not concerned about these words. He was only interested in the pending words of his friend, who was standing at the front of the room and removing something from a case.

“Sorry, everyone. Bear with me here.” Merlin apologized, pulling a beautiful acoustic guitar into his lap. Mr. Kilgharrah had fetched the boy a stool during all the chatter, which somehow Arthur had failed to notice until recently.

“Alrighty,” the wizard-of-sorts exhaled. “Here goes.”

Just like that the room went quiet again, only to be filled with the gentle chords of Merlin’s instrument. After a few bars, the words began and Merlin knew that it was too late to back out now.

“A note in your locker/for a bite from your father/I could take it all away/but the nights that I’ll barter/make me think even harder/and I don’t want you to go away/you can act like a prat/I’ll be one to vouch for that/but I’m not completely innocent either/so if I wrote you this song/and told you I’m wrong/could we start over again?/you’re a knight in shining armour/I could make you think calmer/you would never be sad again/so promise me Arthur/that you’ll try a little harder/to smile a little more/for me.”

At the exact moment the song ended, as if it were in a movie, the bell rang. Students hastily gathered their things, began loud conversations, and made their way towards the exit of the room. Through all the faces moving, Merlin picked out one that was perfectly still. Arthur sat still in his seat, putting two and two together. This was it. He knew the sender of the notes, he knew of Merlin’s affections, and, most importantly, he knew that Merlin was in on his secret. 

Merlin’s senses kicked in and he packed up his things as fast as possible. He could not bear to lose Arthur like this; to face him right here, right now, and know that despised him. Waving off praise from students and Mr. Kilgharrah, the boy practically sprinted out the door. Behind him, he left Arthur still perfectly unmoved, even though his mind was working at a thousand miles a minute.

~~

That night, after having a long heart-to-heart with Gaius over a cup of tea, Merlin found himself cooped up in his room. He sat on his bed clutching his laptop in what would seem like a rather uncomfortable position, but was actually fine. The boy was thinking over how he would handle the upcoming Monday. Things would be different between Arthur and Merlin. Perhaps he wouldn’t be welcome at the lunch table anymore. After all, everyone there was Arthur’s friend first. 

The boy took a deep sigh and closed the computer, setting it on the nightstand next to his bed. He closed his eyes tightly and drew his legs up to his chest. In all his efforts to make Arthur happy, he had royally screwed up. There was no playing this off: no escape route. Merlin let out an uneasy breath. He was terrified.

All he had ever wanted was a group of friends. He was always the awkward kid who was alone everywhere he went. This school was supposed to be a fresh start for him. At first, it had been. He had found himself a group of smiling, funny, and loyal people who he could talk to and see after class had ended for the day. But he had delved too deep with Arthur. He had meddled around in the blonde’s head and found something secret. Merlin had gone to far to try and fix something that he wasn’t supposed to know anything about and now it would cost him. 

 

‘This damn gift!’ Merlin cursed at himself. All it had ever done was cause trouble. The raven-haired boy was convinced that his “gift” was more of a curse. This curse had haunted him from the day he was born. It had pushed Arthur away. It had driven his father away. It had killed his mother. Now, it was killing a part of Merlin that couldn’t be resurrected: his sanity. 

Thunk. Thunk.

Merlin jumped from his dismayed thoughts and felt a rush of adrenaline run through him. 

Thunk. 

Something was outside. 

Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.

The scared boy tiptoed to his window, overlooking the yard below. Usually, that yard was vacant. Today, however, it seemed to have a visitor. Lifting the window open, Merlin found that visitor standing shyly on the ground below, asking permission to come up. 

“Arthur?” Merlin questioned carefully.

“Yeah.”

The blonde recklessly climbed up the tree that grew right beside Merlin and Gaius’ home. He then shimmied through the small window opening and landed on the plush carpet of Merlin’s room.

“Hello,” he whispered.

“Hi,” Merlin replied.

“I didn’t know you played guitar.”

“I didn’t know you wrote poetry.”

“I dabble.”

“I could say the same.”

Merlin hadn’t realized how close Arthur was standing until now. Their faces were inches away, barely visible in the night. The only light came from the desk lamp on a nightstand, casting an eerie sort of light on the two. Merlin could feel his heart rate pick up in his chest and wondered if Arthur could hear it.

Merlin spoke softly, “You do realize that it’s past midnight.”

Arthur hummed. “You do realize that I don’t care.”

“Why are you here?” the wizard-of-sorts asked in a tone so quiet that it was practically inaudible.

“I wanted to see you,” the other said. “No, scratch that. I needed to see you.”

“I know you hate me, Arthur. You don’t have to do this.”

“You’ll find that I do. And I will. I don’t hate you, Merlin. I never could,” the Pendragon promised. Merlin inhaled sharply as Arthur reached out to cup the other’s face gently. 

“I’m sorry for meddling.”

“Yes,” the blonde nodded, “I’ve been meaning to ask. How did you find out?”

Merlin may have fancied Arthur, but he was not ready to explain his “gift” just yet. “I know things.”

“Well,” the young Pendragon whispered hot into Merlin’s ear. “Mr. Smarty-Pants, if you know so much, then I bet you know what I’m going to do next?”

A quick probe told Merlin all that he needed to know. “Perhaps.” 

Arthur held Merlin close and backed him onto the bed slowly. Before long, the blonde had his friend pinned against the mattress, lips finding their way to another set. Merlin’s pulse beat fast and quick, seeming to increase with each warm breath that Arthur took against him. Their mouths were so close to touching, so close that Merlin could almost feel it. But it was too much. He couldn’t do this, not to Arthur.

“Stop,” he whispered.

Arthur redirected his lips to meet Merlin’s cheek before he pulled away. The Pendragon boy crawled off of his friend and sat upright on the bed.

“I can’t do it, Arthur,” Merlin started shakily, praying that the tears wouldn’t come.

“It’s okay,” the other reassured, looking sincere and honest. This broke something in Merlin. He wanted this. He wanted it so badly. But Merlin wasn’t… normal. If Arthur knew what he was, he would never speak to the other again.

“No it’s not!” Merlin wailed, voice cracking with upcoming tears.

“Hush, Merlin. It’s alright, I promise.” Arthur scooted over to where the black-haired boy was sitting and wrapped his arms around him. “I’m not mad.”

“You would be. You’d be furious!” 

“What are you on about?” Arthur asked and that was it. The waterworks began, flowing down Merlin’s cheeks hastily, never seeming to cease.

“You would never talk to me again if you found out what I really am,” Merlin promised, only faintly audibly.

Arthur held him closer, stroking his hair with a set rhythm. “You know what I am. I’m a self-destructive screw-up and yet you somehow seem to put up with me.”

Merlin covered his face with his hands and cried, “You don’t understand!”

“Then tell me.” The blonde removed Merlin’s hands from their current position and held them close against his chest. “Tell me all about you.”

Merlin whimpered. “I can’t.”

“Then don’t and sleep here with me.” Arthur whispered, pulling Merlin down to lie on the mattress. He then reached down for the covers and spread them over the boys’ bodies. With one last gentle move, Arthur shifted to embrace the other, planting a soft kiss to his neck. 

“Thank-you,” Merlin choked out.

The other laughed quietly, “Get some sleep, Merls.”

With Arthur’s final words, the room was engulfed in silence. The only noises that could be heard were the hushed breaths before they were taken into a pleasant unconsciousness.

~~

Merlin woke up in a confused state. The bed was far too warm for some unexplainable reason. Lifting his eyelids, he let the sunlight into his eyes. The light seemed to bring back all of the memories of last night in a shockwave.

He was gone. There was no one besides Merlin in the room. He did not hear any voices downstairs except Gaius’s, and well, he was prone to talking to himself. Merlin could not detect any trace that Arthur had even been there expect for the lingering smell of him on the covers. However, Merlin could detect the smell of… pancakes? 

Eager for the delicious taste of breakfast to numb his heartsick head, the boy ran down the stairs as fast as possible. “Gaius! Have you made pan- what?”

Gaius raised his eyebrows in that way that honestly scared Merlin at times. “I haven’t made anything, but I couldn’t seem to say the same about your lovely friend here. Honestly, I’m thinking of keeping him. Such manners. You could learn a thing or two from this one,” he said, smirking. 

“He’s right, you know,” a voice from behind him replied. “Pancake?”

Merlin smiled from ear to ear and blushed when his grin was returned. “I’d love one.”

Gaius, Merlin, and Arthur sat at the table and ate their home-cooked breakfast with amiable chatter. Merlin finally felt at ease for the first time in a while. He was nervous, however. The events of the previous night had left him confused. Did Arthur have feelings for Merlin? Or was the attempted kiss the Pendragon’s strange way of thanking him for the song? Merlin wasn’t sure, but in this moment, he was not too concerned about it.

“Merlin, I believe you had said that Arthur was rather inconsiderate?” Gaius asked. “I must disagree.” Arthur frowned.

The Emrys boy chuckled and said, “Perhaps I had misjudged. It seems he has changed his ways.” Arthur smiled.

“No, Merlin was right, sir. I was a right prat to him when we first met,” the blonde explained, standing up to take their empty plates to the sink. Arthur washed whilst explaining, “Which is why I am going to make it up to you.”

“You’ve already proved yourself noble, Prince Arthur,” Merlin laughed. “You’re off my hit list… for now.”

“Nonsense,” Arthur declared, wiping his soapy hands off with a dishtowel. “I will be taking you to dinner tonight. Except me to arrive at 6:30. Ta!” the blonde waved, striding out the door. 

“What…” Merlin trailed off, entirely befuddled.

Gaius asked in awe, “Can we keep him?”

Merlin had no response. He crept back up the stairs to his bedroom and flopped down on the bed, which still held small traces of Arthur’s scent. He stared at the ceiling, lost in thoughts of the prattish blonde and discovered how truly and utterly gone he was for the bloke. Hell, if he had impressed Gaius, then he must be a treasure. 

The time rolled by faster than Merlin thought possible. Before long, the clock struck five, leaving the boy only an hour and a half to make himself presentable for his… date? Was this a date? With Arthur?

“Bloody hell,” Merlin sweared aloud.

He thought it funny how in times like these, one finds themselves with absolutely nothing to wear. After an eternity of picking out garments, fooling around with his hair, and singing out of key to old pop punk tracks, Merlin was, for the most part, ready for the evening. 

When the doorbell rang, Merlin glided down the stairs, only briefly toying with the idea of sliding down the banisters. He had a nervous pep in his step and almost ran smack into Gaius on his way through the kitchen. Embarrassed, Merlin tried to apologize. The old man simply winked and wished him good luck.

The wizard-of-sorts smiled shyly and walked over to open the door. An absolutely stunning Arthur had been standing on its other side. Merlin grew suddenly self-conscious over his semi-formal outfit when he laid eyes on the other’s obviously expensive garb.

Arthur must have noticed his friend’s doubt, as he complimented, “You look simply dashing, Merlin. Shall we be off? Your chariot awaits.”

His reply was a true and happy giggle and a retort of, “As you wish, m’lord.”

To this, Arthur held out his arm for Merlin to take, and he led them to his car. As a right gentleman, the blonde opened the door for his companion before taking his place in the driver’s seat.

“No butler?” Merlin asked, suspiciously.

“Just us tonight. Hope you don’t mind,” Arthur explained, starting the car and driving them off to dinner.

Merlin grinned, “Not at all.”

“Music?”

“Always.”

The blonde hit the play button on his car’s CD player. “Berlin” by New Politics filled the car’s stereo and Merlin squealed in delight. 

“I love this song!” he cheered.

Arthur replied with a satisfied, “I know!”

Merlin began singing the words and after the first chorus, Arthur joined in. the whole ride to the restaurant, the two sang obnoxiously and smiled so big that their lips began to ache. Merlin could say with absolute certainty that he had never felt so free in his entire life. Arthur made his insides melt and did funny things to his stomach. Merlin loved it.

Upon entering the restaurant, the black-haired boy’s first words were, “Oh, Arthur. This place is much too fancy.”

The blonde slid an arm to the small of Merlin’s back and led him forwards. “Nonsense.”

A waitress asked the blonde for his reservation name and led them to their table after receiving it. The dining area was of a pleasant volume; not too loud and not too quiet. The boys had a table on the second floor, right beside a window that held a stunning view of a garden below. 

“I will be right back with some menus. Excuse me,” the waitress announced.

Merlin took in all the new sights. There was a glass chandelier hanging in the middle of the room, glistening brightly. Murals of Greek scenes adorned the walls along with hanging flower baskets and ivy. All of these things were beautiful, of course, but none were quite as gorgeous as the blonde boy sitting opposite of Merlin. The boy’s eyes sparkled in the low lighting of the venue. His face stood out over anyone else’s. The butterflies came flooding back into Merlin’s system, causing him to blush profusely and duck his head.

“Thank you,” Merlin whispered, too soft. He cleared his throat and started again, louder this time. “Thank you. For this. Arthur.”

“It’s no trouble, honest,” Arthur bashfully reassured.

“That’s the thing, though,” the other explained. “It is trouble. I know you don’t do this for just anyone. I also know that it was wrong of me to pry into your personal life and I’m sorry. I don’t deserve this, Arthur. I’m not a good friend for you.”

“That’s where you are wrong,” Arthur declared, looking into Merlin’s eyes. “You are absolutely perfect.”

The other did not have a chance to reply, as the waitress returned with two menus and a pitcher of water to fill their glasses. After her work was done, she promised to be back to record their orders and left.

After a few quiet minutes of looking at menus, the serving girl returned. Arthur ordered and Merlin requested that he would like what his friend was having. The blonde smirked at this, but didn’t say anything aloud. Once again, the server left and allowed the boys to talk in private once more.

“So,” Arthur prompted, leaning forward. “Tell me about yourself.”

“Pardon?”

“Well, we hardly had enough time to learn the basic facts about each other during our library meet or our little walk.”

Merlin took a sip from his water glass and responded, “What do you want to know?”

A spark glittered through Arthur’s eyes, “Everything.”

“Could you be a bit more specific?” the other questioned cheekily. The song playing through the radio changed to a classic Italian opera piece. Merlin smiled, remembering his mother. “She loved opera music.”

“Who?” 

“My mother. She played it all the time. I couldn’t stand the damned stuff. Now that she’s gone,” Merlin hesitated, “Now that she’s gone, I’ve rather come to like it.”

“A woman of refined tastes. I can see where you got yours from,” Arthur nodded.

“Alright, alright. You don’t get to ask all the questions,” Merlin decided. “Let’s go back to an old one. What’s your favourite thing about yourself?”

Arthur frowned. “Er, that would be my taste in music.”

The reply caused Merlin to furrow his eyebrows and sigh. “As I agree that your music taste is, in fact, stellar, that wasn’t quite what I meant.

“Taste in books, then.”

“Arthur,” Merlin sighed. “You really can’t find anything you like about yourself?”

“I told you two things!” Arthur objected. “You answer the question, if you think it’s so easy.”

Merlin looked thoughtful for a moment before saying, “I quite like my ears. Also, I think that I am a loyal friend and take pride in my school marks.”

“I agree.”

“Hm?”

“Your ears,” Arthur gestured. “They’re really quite lovely. So are you. Quite lovely, I mean.”

The wizard-of-sorts blushed. “Well, anyways, now it’s your turn.”

“If you insist. I suppose I could find one thing.” Arthur went quiet before voicing, “I like my taste in friends. And boys.”

Merlin didn’t have to read his friend’s mind to know what he was talking about. 

~~

The drive back to Merlin’s house was in amiable silence. Neither of them spoke much, they both preferred to tap their fingers along to the car’s CD player. Soon enough, they had arrived in the driveway and Merlin found it fascinating how quickly the quietness changed from friendly to awkward. 

“So,” Arthur broke the ice cleverly.

“So,” Merlin smartly retorted.

It was dark outside and the raven-haired boy was certain that Gaius was already asleep. The stars glistened in the sky and Arthur’s CD played gently in the background. The song finished and faded away before playing a new track. As if wanting to push the two together, “Stuck On You” came on. The familiar piano keys played and the first lyrics of; 

“Put a spell on me//walk away from me//that’s called irony//got me hypnotized//I’m paralyzed//I lost my sanity//what an ordeal//what an ordeal//to get my mind stuck on you.” 

Filled the small space. Arthur blushed and quietly apologized for the song. Merlin insisted that it was alright and explained that it was late and he had to go. However, the blonde grabbed his hand before Merlin was able to open the car door.

“Merlin,” he spoke softly, “If I were to kiss you right now, what would you do?”

The other shifted their hands so that they were entwined. “I would kiss you back, Arthur,” he whispered.

In only seconds, the space between their lips was filled. It was a simple and sweet kiss, making the butterflies inside of each of them fly around with reckless abandon. Merlin lifted his hand to rest in Arthur’s hair and pull him closer. Arthur cupped his friend’s cheek lightly and hummed blissfully.

The kiss was broken mutually, both needing to refill on oxygen. Merlin’s cheeks were as red as Arthur’s and he couldn’t help but laugh at himself. The blonde looked up and Merlin and chuckled along. 

“I really have to go now,” Merlin said.

“Goodnight, Merls.”

“Goodnight, Arthur.”

Walking away from the car, Merlin probed inside his friends mind and found only one thought. 

‘I think I love him.’

Once again, Merlin found himself thinking the same.

~~

Things had begun to look sunnier for Merlin after that. Lunch was pleasant once again. Everyone got along and Arthur had insisted upon apologizing to everyone all over again. Afterwards, the group was joking around like they were on Merlin’s first day at the school.

“Merlin! Arthur! My two favourite people!” Freya exclaimed one cheery Thursday. She ran up and threw her arms around the boys.

Gwaine frowned, “I thought I was your favourite!”

“No, it was me!” Will whined. 

“Boys, boys!” exclaimed Freya as she sat back down. “There’s enough love to go around. Just Arthur and Merlin get more than you.”

Will pretended to cry. “That hurts Freya. Hurts.”

Merlin smiled and sat down next to the young Pendragon. They had grown rather close after their date, but hadn’t kissed since. The two really had not talked about kiss at all. Neither one wanted to bring it up, afraid that the other was regretting the action. Nevertheless, the boys had become best friends quickly and went out for coffee every Tuesday, sat in the library every Thursday, and went to the cinemas each Saturday. It was no secret that they were close, but their friends had started to think that something else was going on between them.

“So,” Lancelot prompted, “How is the happy couple?”

Everyone at the table turned their attention towards the boys. Merlin and Arthur simply sat looking absolutely confused. “Who?” Merlin asked.

“You two, silly!” Morgana laughed.

Arthur cocked his head, “What the hell are you talking about?”

The table erupted into laughter. The two could pick out certain phrases like, ‘Aw, they’re trying to keep it secret’ and ‘Oh, they aren’t out yet’. The boys were hopelessly lost on what was going on and it seemed as though no one was going to explain it to them.

“You’re my OTP!” Freya yelled, loudly enough for everyone around them to hear. She leaned over the table and grabbed Arthur by his shirt collar, “You don’t hurt my Merlin, Pendragon. I will fuck you up.” A look of pure terror flashed across the blonde’s eyes.

Merlin heard Arthur think, ‘She is absolutely insane.’

“You got that right.” Oh, shit. 

Freya sat back and pumped her fist in the air. “See? Merlin’s on my side.”

Arthur buried his head in his hands before standing up. He grabbed Merlin’s hand and pulled him up. “C’mon, Merls. Obviously our friends have gone mental.”

The two walked away hand-in-hand to the melodic sounds of their friends cooing, “Awwwwe!”

~~

Time had gone by and Merlin had found himself facing the last few weeks of school. In that time, Arthur and he had become inseparable. Merlin slipped encouraging notes into Arthur’s locker every day and always made sure to tell him how much the blonde’s friendship meant to him. Merlin noticed that his friend seemed much happier than he had previously. 

Arthur had even told the lunch table about his problems with depression and they had all given him a hug. After school that day, they all went to dinner and the movies to cheer the Pendragon up. Merlin couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to hang out with.

He was thinking fondly of these memories one rainy Saturday night. Instead of going to the cinemas, Merlin and Arthur had changed the plan to having a stay-in movie night at Merlin’s house since Gaius was away on vacation. Arthur had once admitted to loving Disney’s The Sword in the Stone, and so here they sat with microwave popcorn, sitting on the couch and watching it.

Merlin was a bit of a touchy-feely sort of friend. He was leaning on Arthur’s shoulder while the other kept an arm around Merlin. However, the wizard-of-sorts detected a certain stiffness in the blonde. He thought that perhaps this was one of Arthur’s Bad Nights. Merlin had found out about his Bad Nights the hard way and did everything he could to make sure his best friend got through them.

‘You’re not good enough,’ Arthur thought. ‘You don’t deserve this. You don’t deserve him. You’re worthless.’

“I really wish you would stop thinking like that,” Merlin said, frowning. 

A silence swept over the room. It took a few moments for Merlin to realize what he had done. He had given away his secret and there was no going back this time. It would drive Arthur away as it had driven away his father and killed his mother.

“I-I,” Merlin tried, but he found no words.

Arthur sat back on the couch and looked at Merlin scared and curious. “How did you… what…?”

It’s now or never. “I need to tell you something and it’s not going to be easy for me to say or for you to understand.”

“Shoot.”

“Okay,” Merlin took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “I can read minds.”

Arthur looked extremely skeptical and laughed. “Right, okay Merls. Whatever you say.”

“I’m serious! Think of something now,” the other commanded.

“Alright…”

“Excalibur,” Merlin declared. “You’re thinking of Excalibur.”

Arthur scoffed, “We’re watching The Sword in the Stone. That hardly makes you a mind-reader, Merlin.”

“No. Now you’re thinking of Morgana and you’re scared. You are remembering a time when you were little and she had nightmares. She thought she had visions of the future, but your father wrote her off as just being a child,” Merlin shut his eyes, concentrating. “She still has the nightmares and only finds comfort in a bracelet that your mother gave her before she passed away when Morgana was born. The bracelet is made of amber and… and… and now you are thinking that I am mental and I am terrifying you.”

“Accurate,” Arthur choked out, barely above a whisper.

Here came the waterworks. “Oh, Arthur! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to pry into your head! I just wanted to help you. I just wanted you to feel better. Yes, that’s how I found out and I know that it’s wrong and an invasion of privacy. I’m not in your mind all the time, just when I think you are sad because I want to help. I want you to feel loved and happy. Always. I’m sorry!” Merlin wailed; tears streaming endlessly down his cheeks.

Arthur just stared at his friend blankly, processing the new information.

“I’m a twat, I know. You have every right to hate me and I won’t blame you for walking out now and never talking to me again. I’ll move away, I swear. You’ll never have to look at me again! I just want you to be happy. I just-”

Arthur had leaned over and wrapped his arms securely around Merlin, holding him tight. “You did all that for me?” he whispered in the other’s ear.

“All for you, Arthur,” Merlin sobbed.

“Thank-you.”

Merlin pulled apart from the hug. “You’re not mad at me?”

Arthur laughed, “No one has ever gone through all that trouble just for me before. You’re perfect, Merls. I don’t ever want you to move away. I’ll take you just as you are, magic and all.”

Merlin sniffed, “I’m not really magic.”

“I beg to differ,” Arthur whispered, moving closer to Merlin. “Okay, Mr. Wizard, what am I thinking of this time?”

Merlin concentrated on Arthur’s mind and, “Oh.”

The blonde pressed his lips firmly onto his friend’s and mumbled against them, “I love you, Merlin Emrys.”

Merlin reached his hands up to tangle in the blonde’s hair and pull him in closer. He licked Arthur’s lips and waited for permission to slip his tongue into the other’s mouth. They sat like that for what seemed like forever before Merlin pulled away softly. “I love you, Arthur Pendragon.”

Arthur smiled the largest that Merlin had ever seen him grin. It was that moment, as the blonde kissed his cheek lightly and the raven-haired, in turn, pulled him close into his chest. The television was the only sound to be heard apart from the boy’s quiet breathing. 

The old wizard, Merlin, spoke, “Ah, you know, lad, that love business is a powerful thing.”

The young Arthur replied, “Greater than gravity?”

“Well, yes, boy. In its way, I’d, uh…. Yes, I’d say it’s the greatest force on earth.”

Merlin smiled at the words from the movie before looking into Arthur’s eyes and asking, “Do you think that we could be greater than gravity?”

“I think we could.”

**Author's Note:**

> Second Merthur. ^.^ If there are any errors, comments, ect. please tell me in the comments. Thank-you so very much for reading! Also, I apologize for my lack of knowledge on the British school system. I used the American one instead. Sorry!
> 
> THE QUESTION GAME:
> 
> The question game that Merlin and Arthur play is from the book, "It's Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini. Here is a link to the synopsis of the book on Wikipedia (hey, it's accurate just copy/paste)-  
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It's_Kind_of_a_Funny_Story_(film) 
> 
> SONGS AND COPY/PASTE LINKS:
> 
> Arthur's favourite song is "Rough Landing, Holly" by Yellowcard.  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DRh1EyvPHw
> 
> Merlin's favourite song is "All the Same" by Sick Puppies.  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs72v-2zjsg
> 
> "Berlin" by New Politics is what the boys listen to on the way to their date.  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMDA-7UEiU4
> 
> Their first kiss happens to the song of "Stuck on You" by New Politics.  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYGJur3JSvA
> 
> This fanfic has a PLAYLIST. It's on 8tracks.com under the username "merlocked". The mix tape's name is "Mind Reader". Here is an html that you can copy/paste to go directly to the playlist on 8tracks. Enjoy the story!
> 
> https://8tracks.com/merlocked/merlin-mind-reader


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